Playing with Fire
by Sergeant Duck
Summary: Not enough Red Alert and Inferno fics...I am doing my part to change this. Rated for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – A Gift**

Inferno sighed heavily through his intakes and leaned against the base entrance. He watched with hungry optics as the late afternoon sunlight played on the red and white armor plating of the mech standing a ways off. _Always from_ _a distance; ain't that the truth_ Inferno thought sadly. Red Alert was completely absorbed in the conversation he was having with the local human fire chief giving Inferno the opportunity to admire the Lamborghini's sleek frame without fear of being noticed. He felt his fuel pump stutter when the security director leaned down to accept something from the human and inadvertently giving Inferno a most spectacular view. Red Alert straightened back to his full height and began walking back towards the base as the human departed.

Inferno gave himself a shake to clear his processor and put on his best smile as Red Alert approached. _Courage big guy!_ "Heya Red! Wanna grab some energon an a movie?" The smaller mech stopped and looked up at him with confused optics. Before Inferno could say anything more Red Alert raised his upturned hand and tilted it slightly. Inferno blinked at the tiny ball of black and white fur that lay curled up on the exposed palm. He gave a small jump when the furry thing blinked back at him. "What in the…?" He leaned down until his optics were on a level with the creature. "It…itsa dog!"

"According to Chief Jenkins it is a Dalmatian. It is still a sparkling, or puppy as the humans call them."

"Chief Jenkins gave ya a dog errr….puppy?"

"A gift for our assistance with last week's forest fire. Apparently it is tradition for these creatures to reside in fire stations. Since we have mechs with emergency vehicle alt modes, Chief Jenkins decided that our base needed one of…these."

Inferno ran a finger gently along the back of the pup and smiled when it began to wag it's tail. "Cute lil feller. Whatcha gonna call it?"

Red Alert jerked and gave the fire truck an incredulous look. "Call it? Call it?! No, absolutely not! We are not naming it because we are not keeping it! I can't even begin to name all the security, hygiene, and general Autobot protocols we'd be breaking if we allowed it to live in our base!"

"Awwww come on Red. I'm sure he won't be no trouble."

Red Alert shook his head and continued his trek into the base with Inferno walking beside him. "No Inferno."

"Ya know they say pets help soothe stress. Maybe the lil guy could help with yer glitch?"

"No."

"What bout morale? The others'll love em!"

"No."

"Bet he could chase out the lil pests like mice an rats."

"Cats do that, not dogs; and we are not getting one of those either."

"Humans use em fer security…"

"Inferno! Exactly what is a dog going to safeguard us from here?"

"I dunno…cassetticons?"

"Soundwave's minions would make short work of this mammal."

"I'll wager Wheeljack could rig somethin' up ta make it a match fer…"

"I am not asking our chief engineer to add upgrades to this or any other native inhabitant of this planet. The puppy is staying only for as long as it takes me to find a suitable home for it and not a nanoclick longer. That. Is. Final!" he snapped as he turned down the corridor containing the security control center. A slight growling sound reached his audios and he turned to face the fire truck. "Alright look, I apologize for snapping at you; but I cannot back down on this. Now will you please stop growling at me?"

"I'm not growlin'…" Inferno replied as he pointed at Red Alert's hand "…but yer pooch is." Both mechs blinked as the Dalmatian tried it's best to look and sound menacing. Inferno turned disapproving optics on his friend. "See what ya did? Ya upset em!"

"I did no such thing! It started growling as soon as we turned the corner, not…" he cut himself off abruptly at the sound of a door opening. He looked down the hallway to see a black helmed mech cautiously pop his head out from the security control center. "Twins in the office" Red Alert whispered. "Twins in the office!! No, no, no, no, no!!!" He dropped the puppy into Inferno's hands and ran down the hallway towards the open door.

"Move Sunny! The spaz is back!" Sideswipe yelled as he made a run for it. Sunstreaker ran out of the office a split second later quickly following his twin.

"Halt! I order you to stop!" Red Alert shouted as he gave chase.

Inferno shook his head and sat down on the ground with his back against the wall. "Ya figure Prowl an Red would know that line dun work with those two by now. Dun worry, he'll be back" he smiled down at the pup in his hand. A few moments later a red Lamborghini slid back around the corner followed closely by a golden one; a white and red Lamborghini in fire chief's decor tore around the corner after them with sirens blaring. "Five, four, three, two, one" Inferno counted down and then shoved a leg out across the hallway forcing all three cars to screech to a halt.

"Move it Inferno!" Sunstreaker snapped.

Inferno grinned and aimed his water nozzle at the yellow car. "Or you'll what?" He looked down in surprise when the puppy stood on the edge of his fingers and began barking at the twins between growls.

Sideswipe transformed and looked down at Inferno in confusion. "Is that a dog?"

Sunstreaker followed suit and leaned down to get a better look. "What happened to it's paint job? It looks like a black paint can exploded over his base coat."

"I rather think the black and white coloring is quite charming." Both twins winced and turned to face Prowl standing next to a smug looking Red Alert. "Of course this could be a biased opinion based on my own color scheme. Perhaps we should discuss the matter further in my office?" The Second in command placed a hand on each twin and gave them a gentle shove in the direction of his office. "I am sure I don't need to tell you to be wary when you decide to re-enter your control center Red Alert. Let me know what damage they've done so that I can assign the proper punishments." At Red Alert's nod the Datsun turned and followed the twins.

Inferno, who had been trying to get the pup in his hands to quiet down during the exchange, blinked in surprise when the dog suddenly sat down and stopped barking. He looked down the hallway where the twins were dragging their feet with Prowl shadowing them and then back down at the dog. "Hey Prowl! Hold on a sec would ya?" He stood and began slowly walking towards the officer and his charges.

"What are you doing?" Red Alert asked as he joined the fire truck.

"Jus…jus gimme a sec." As he got about halfway down the hallway from the others the dog began to growl again. "Well now ain't that somethin?" He stopped his approach and backed up until the dog calmed down. "Hey Prowl, c'mere a sec." Prowl glanced at the twins giving them a silent warning and then walked back to Inferno. Inferno watched the dog carefully for any kind of reaction to the approaching Datsun and chuckled when the dog just yawned. "Alright, now follow an watch" he told the two officers as he began to walk towards the twins once more. Sure enough, the Dalmatian began to growl. Red Alert and Prowl looked down at the tiny dog in shock.

"It makes noise when the twins are near" Red Alert said in awe. "It even knew they were in the office. Amazing."

Inferno chuckled again and carefully rubbed the puppy's head with a finger. "Yer a regular twin detector on legs aintcha?" He turned his smile over to Red Alert and gave the security director a small nudge with his elbow. "Can we keep em now?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – So Close**

Inferno keyed the door lock to the security control center again and tapped his foot impatiently. He glared up at the camera sitting above the top corner of the door and stuck his glossa out at it. "Come on Red, open th'door" he chuckled. The door finally slid open and Inferno quickly stepped inside before the Security Director changed his mind. He stopped short and blinked in confusion when he was greeted by an empty office. "Red?"

"Over here" came a muffled reply from behind the large security desk.

Inferno stepped around the piece of furniture and raised an optic ridge at the pair of red and white plated legs sticking out from underneath the desk. "Uh…you alright there Red?"

"Otis is under my desk and won't come out" Red Alert growled in reply.

"Otis?"

Red Alert slid out from under the desk and got up onto his knees. "Organic Twin Intrusion Sensor; Otis."

Inferno stared dumbly at Red Alert for a minute then barked out a short laugh when he realized what the Lamborghini was referring to. "The Dalmatian? You gave th'pup an acronym fer a name?!" Inferno forced his laughter down when Red Alert looked up at him with a pout. "Aw dun get mad Red. It's a fine name." He leaned back on the desk with a smile and folded his arms across his chest. "Actually I think it's kinda cute."

"Cute…not exactly what I was aiming for when I named him. It is simply his job title; a job he is failing to accomplish since he refuses to come out from under my desk!" Red Alert smacked the side of the desk for emphasis.

Inferno bit his lip to keep from laughing again and kneeled to look under the desk before Red Alert could see his expression. "Ya got anythin' sensitive under th'desk?"

"A desk containing a huge security network to include numerous monitors, sensors, receivers, uplinks, etc, etc, etc? Define sensitive Inferno" Red Alert replied sarcastically.

"Well I was thinkin' mebbe a short burst from my water nozzle might convince the lil guy to skeedattle. I'll make it real short an light so as not to hurt em and t'not make too big a mess. Knowin' you, you probably have everythin' in here water resistant just ta be on the safe side."

Red Alert winced at the image of a water logged security control center. "Yes, I took those precautions but…"

Inferno looked up at the Security Director and tried to give him a comforting smile. "Come on Red, you can trust me. I'll be real careful like."

Red Alert's right optic twitched slightly. _No! This is a bad idea! Don't listen to him! He wants to sabotage the security network! _He shook his head and fought down the glitch in his processor. _Inferno would do no such thing! I… I trust him!_ "Alright do it, but keep it light! Wait until I am in position by the back corner to catch him as he runs."

Inferno felt his spark warm at the trust Red Alert showed for him. He ducked back down by the bottom of the desk once Red Alert was in position. He placed his nozzle under the edge of the desk and fired a short burst of water. A surprised yelp and the sound of paws scrambling for footing answered the spray.

"There he is!" Red Alert shouted as he quickly moved to intercept the pup as it bolted out from under the desk. The Dalmatian spotted Red Alert and made a sharp turn running away from him. "He's on the run Inferno! Intercept!"

Inferno poked his head around the side of the desk and laughed. _This is just priceless! It's like watchin' a human child's cartoon! _The puppy suddenly made another turn and ran straight for him with Red Alert in close pursuit. Inferno's laughter cut off sharply and his optics widened in shock when the agile Dalmatian ran between his legs. A split second later lnferno's back hit the ground with a loud crash as Red Alert collided with him.

Red Alert moaned and shifted slightly as he attempted to regain his bearings. "Bad dog" he mumbled weakly. "Baaaaaaaad dog."

_Good dog!! _Inferno stared up at Red Alert sprawled out on top of him trying to convince himself that this was not a dream. He had certainly dreamed of this situation often enough; minus the dog of course. He resisted the urge to wrap his arms around the Lamborghini deciding that the action would likely spook the other mech and ruin the moment; not to mention ruin any future chances he might get. But oh Primus how the weight of Red Alert on his chassis felt every bit as amazing as he imagined in his dreams.

Red Alert felt the surface he was resting on shiver slightly. He tensed realizing exactly what, or more rather who, he was laying on. He slowly raised his head coming optic to optic with Inferno and felt the first pangs of panic kicking in. "I…. I … I…" he stuttered. _Touching! He's touching me! Nnnnnnooooo! _Red Alert shivered and felt the horns on his helm spark as his glitch attempted to take over again. He closed his optics and took a deep breath in through his intakes. _He did not attack me; this is my fault. I crashed into him so technically it is __me__ who is touching __him__. _He forced his optics open and suddenly felt his glitch disappear behind a wave of embarrassment. He pushed up on his arms to remove himself from his precarious position atop Inferno. "I'm sorry Inferno. I should have paid closer…" he cut off as Inferno sat up with him maintaining the close proximity of their faces.

Inferno surprised himself when he sat up following Red Alert's movement. It was as if his spark refused to allow any distance between them now that the other mech was so close. He felt himself losing the battle to control his body and decided to say something before things got out of hand. "Are you alright?" He bit back a curse at the husky tone in his voice. Apparently the struggle with his body was also affecting his vocals.

Red Alert blinked at Inferno's question. He had never heard the fire truck sound like that before. For some reason it made him feel…warm. "I am undamaged." _Why is he looking at me like that? _"What about you?" _Why am I still sitting on you? _"Are you injured?"_ You know, at this distance your optics are a most striking shade of blue. WHAT?! Where in the __Pit__ did that come from?!_

"I'm fully functional." _Please tell me I didn' just say that._

Red Alert gulped and fought the strange heat rising in his frame. "Good. That's…that's good." _Ok, he's fine, you're fine, now remove your aft from his frame! _Red Alert gave himself a mental slap and quickly scrambled off of Inferno's lap.

Inferno watched Red Alert skitter away on all fours. When the Security Director looked back his expression reminded Inferno of an Earth mammal called a deer that had frozen in the road when his headlights made contact with it. _So much for not scarin' em._ He looked down at his hand and smiled at Otis who was currently licking one of his fingers. _Not sure if you planned this or not ya rascal; but thanks for the moment all the same. _The spotted dog sat back on his haunches and looked up at him with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Well now that we got em out from under yer desk, what did ya wanna do with em Red?"

"With him? Oh! Otis. Of course. Ah…the Witwicky boy offered to take him to something called an obedience school. Apparently it is some form of training that low level creatures like Otis can understand."

Inferno frowned slightly noting Red Alert's attempt to avoid optic contact with him. _Oh this ain't good; he's really spooked._ "Well I hope they aren't gonna be too rough on em." He nudged Otis into his palm and stood. "He's still just a sparklin' after all." He walked over to Red Alert and carefully placed the Dalmatian in the Security Director's hands. Seeing Red Alert's frame tense at the renewed close proximity, Inferno stepped back. "Well, guess I won't keep ya then. Lemme know how it goes."

The second the door closed behind Inferno, Red Alert linked the primary monitor with the camera outside his office. Inferno stood a little down the hallway looking over his shoulder at the security control center with an unreadable expression. The fire truck lowered his optic ridges and a determined look grew on his face plates. He gave a sharp nod as if coming to a conclusion then continued his trek down the hallway. Red Alert let out a long breath he hadn't realized he was holding and looked down at the dog in his hand. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to talk to him about this since I am obviously too much of a coward to do so myself?" Otis cocked his head and gave a small whine. "No, you're right." He raised his other hand to the monitor showing the broad back of the retreating mech. "Things of this nature are best discussed without a mediator."


	3. Chapter 3

*****Alright, sick of screwing around with this chapter. It's been sitting about ¾ done for months now. Finished it while half asleep so…yeah.*****

**Chapter 3 – Disobedience, Plots, and Lies**

"Hey Red! Hold up!"

Red Alert groaned and paused in the process of unlocking the SCC door. "What is it Jazz? I have work to do."

Jazz trotted up the hallway and slid to a stop next to the Security Director. "Heard Otis graduated pooch academy."

Red Alert turned to face the saboteur making no effort to hide his irritation. "Otis has completed his obedience school. I have also been provided with reference material on how to teach him the additional commands he will need to do his job. Now, if you will excuse…"

"Far out. Can I get a demo?"

Red Alert frowned and glanced back at the SCC door. "I don't…"

Jazz blinked his visor innocently. "Pretty please with energon goodies on top? I'm sure it won't take more than a coupla minutes. Come on, I know you're just dyin' to show em off."

"You are not going to leave, are you?" Red Alert sighed.

"Nope."

Red Alert waved the Porsche back so he could type in the code to the door lock without being observed. He stepped inside the office and smiled as Otis came running up to greet him. He picked the dog up and carefully rubbed behind the Dalmatian's ears with one finger. "Alright Otis, we need to give a demonstration to our esteemed Lieutenant." He turned around placing the dog on the ground and frowned noting Jazz casually leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest. Red Alert opened his mouth with the intention of telling the other officer to step inside the room but was cut off.

"Why don't I try a few of the commands? Otis, sit." Jazz chuckled ignoring Red Alert's glare as the dog obeyed his command and sat. "Hey cool, it worked. Alright Otis, lay down." Jazz kept his visor on the dog obeying his commands but his optics remained focused on Red Alert. "Ok what 'bout…heel!" The look on Red Alert's face plates when the dog suddenly bolted out of the office made Jazz wish he'd thought to record this.

Red Alert jumped and ran after the Dalmatian. "Otis! No! Jazz, watch the SCC!"

Jazz calmly watched as Red Alert took off after his wayward charge. He straightened from where he was leaning on the doorframe and stepped into the office. He chuckled as he glanced back at the door which was finally able to close without his frame blocking it. _This was just too easy._

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Red Alert debated changing into his much faster alt mode but decided against it fearing he wouldn't be able to avoid hitting the Dalmatian if he stopped suddenly. "Otis heel!" He growled when the dog ran faster at the shouted command. He slowed to a jog and stopped when the Dalmatian led them outside the base. Red Alert scanned the landscape with his optics but there was no sign of his pup. "You asked for it." He booted up a unique internal scanner and searched for the chip Wheeljack was kind enough to place in Otis' collar. He grinned and followed a signal into an area with several rock formations. His optic ridges shot up in surprise as he rounded one particularly large formation allowing his sensors a more in depth scan of the area. He was not alone.

Inferno smiled as Otis trotted up panting heavily. "Gave you a run for yer money didn't he?" He chuckled as the dog walked a quick circle by his outstretched leg then curled up for a nap. Inferno leaned back against the rocky wall he was using as a recliner and waited for the dog's owner. After awhile he began to grow impatient. "Fer cryin' out loud Red! No one's tryin' to ambush ya!" He shook his head when Red Alert suddenly popped his head out from a nearby rock formation.

"Prove it."

Inferno expelled all the air from his vents and slumped his shoulders. "Aww come on Red. Do ya really think I'd let anyone harm ya?" The simple act of Red Alert stepping out from behind his cover made Inferno smile. "See? That wasn't so hard now was it?"

"What are you doing out here?"

Inferno stood and took his time brushing the dirt off his legs. "Just enjoyin' the outdoors. You should try it sometime."

Red Alert folded his arms across his chest and leaned on one hip defensively. "Exactly what is that supposed to mean?"

"Ya spend too much time in that office of yers. Be nice to see ya out an about more often. You've gotten worse than Prowl."

"I'm out now aren't I?"

Inferno grinned and pointed down at the sleeping dog at his feet. "Yer out cause the polka dotted glitch here dragged ya out."

"Yes, well…I wasn't dragged; Otis ran from me" Red Alert replied sheepishly.

"Oh? An why do ya suppose he did that?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. He was given the command to heel and …" Red Alert scrunched his optic ridges together in confusion as Otis stood, gave Inferno's foot a scratch with his paw, then laid back down.

"Well ain't that just the oddest thing?"

"I-I don't understand." Red Alert looked back to Inferno and narrowed his optics suspiciously at his friend's amused expression. His hands twitched briefly as his glitch began to whisper conspiracy theories into his processor. "Inferno, why are you out here again?"

Inferno took a step closer to the red and white Lamborghini. "You're a hard mech to get a hold of lately Red. One might think you were avoidin' me."

Red Alert felt his face plates heat up. In an attempt to hide the blush he looked back down at Otis. The dog looked up at him, yawned, and rested his head on it's forepaws as if to say he had no intention of moving and thus leaving the Security Director to deal with the situation at hand. _Traitor! You are supposed to be on my side! I am unprepared for this! Not now!_ "Um…I have been very busy lately."

"Uh huh. An when was the last time you've been outta that cave you call an office?"

"I appreciate the concern but I assure you that I am perfectly…" He cut off as Inferno stepped a little closer. _OTIS!! You Pit spawned mammal! Help, help, help…what do I do? What do I do?!_ He gulped and tried to refrain from flinching as Inferno placed a hand on his shoulder still looking at him intently_. Touching! He's touching! No, no…wait…yes. Yes?!_

Inferno felt his spark leap within it's casing as Red Alert leaned ever so slightly into his touch. _Alright, need ta get em to relax before this ends with a visit to Ratchet._ "Tell ya what. You've obviously gotten someone to watch the SCC for ya or ya wouldna left, an Otis here is lookin' to be settlin' down for a nap so… join me for a walk? Hound's been tellin' me 'bout this one spot; s'posed to be real pretty. Thought you might wanna check it out for potential security camera placement since it's heavily wooded an could provide cover for decepticreeps."

Red Alert perked up and smiled. "Cameras? I suppose I could do that." He opened a comm. line with Jazz and ensured that the SCC would be covered. He frowned when the saboteur all too readily agreed to finish the shift; a boring job he would normally avoid like a case of scraplets. Struggling to ignore his glitch warning him of traitorous Porsches and Dalmatians, Red Alert cut the line. With a quick command for Otis to 'stay' he turned his attention back to Inferno. He bit back a surprised yelp when Inferno suddenly looped an arm through his and started walking. He laughed when the larger mech turned a charming smile on him and altered his usual gait into a stroll as if escorting him through the streets of Iacon. "You are weird" he managed between chuckles.

"This comin' from the mech who has a dog named Organic Twin Intrusion Sensor?"

__________________________________________________________________________________

Nearly an hour later the two mechs found themselves walking through a thick wooded area. Red Alert blinked at the trees that now stood taller than Inferno. He did not quite admire Earth's landscapes on the same level as say Hound or Trailbreaker; but he could still appreciate the peace that this place radiated. Well, he appreciated it when not worrying about which trees were hiding Decepticons. Inferno suddenly stopped walking and nodded in approval.

Red Alert turned to match Inferno's gaze and widened his optics in shock. Bright streams of sunlight pierced through the canopy of leaves and glittered along the surface of a small rivulet. He kneeled near the water's edge and traced his fingers through the clear water. Several tiny fish, startled by his fingers, darted away adding their flashing silver scales to the light display.

Inferno watched the spectacle with a small smile. Red Alert's white armor reflecting the light from both above and below was mesmerizing. _Damn he's good lookin'. Smart, brave, dedicated, good sense a humor…when he relaxes enough to show it that is._ The fire truck sighed wistfully while his CPU listed everything that made Red Alert so…perfect. It was a funny thing; he could rush into a burning building completely oblivious to the danger but couldn't work up enough courage to tell Red Alert how he felt about him. He had this day planned for sometime (one couldn't exactly train a dog to seek out a fire truck to the command of 'heel' overnight after all) and had even managed to enlist Jazz's help. But now that he had his love interest alone in this beautiful setting he just couldn't seem to make his move.

Red Alert studied his friend's reflection on the surface of the water noting the myriad of expressions that crossed the other's face plates. Inferno appeared happy one moment, despaired the next, and then another look that made Red Alert's intakes hitch. It was the same look of desire given to him back in the SCC a few weeks earlier when he had collided with Inferno. _Why does he not say anything? If he truly feels something other than friendship for me, why doesn't he…of course!_ Inferno was a mech of action, of physical expression; but was probably afraid that such an aggressive show of feelings might chase him away. _I'm just as scared to talk or do anything about it as he is though._ Red Alert frowned at his own reflection. _This is stupid! Am I am Lamborghini or not?!_ He angrily sliced through the reflection with his hand and stood. Red Alert took a deep breath through his intakes and forced himself to look into the larger mech's optics. "Inferno…" Red Alert froze with his mouth open and widened his optics, "…there are two seekers diving towards us from the northeast."

Inferno growled and turned his optics skywards. "Slag! Wonder if we got a patrol nearby that can give us a lil back up?"

"Already done. Smokescreen and Cliffjumper have been diverted from their patrol and the twins are enroute from base."

Inferno grinned and pulled a rifle from subspace. "An that's why yer an officer."

Red Alert frowned as his scanners told him they were running out of time. "We run and find cover and hope we can hold them off until our friends get here." He grabbed Inferno's hand and ran in the direction of the patrol. He gritted his dental plating as the screeching of jet engines filled his audios. His sensory horns flashed giving him a last minute warning and he shoved Inferno to the side at the last second just as laser fire pelted the ground and splintered surrounding trees.

Inferno landed on his back and fired a few rounds at a seeker as it flew by. He stood and a stab of fear shot through his spark when he didn't see Red Alert. "Red! Where are ya?!" Another seeker flew by mimicking his calls for Red Alert then took off with an amused cackle. "Hey! Get back here ya giant metal chicken! Too scared ta fight a mech on the ground?!"

"No."

Inferno turned around and received a punch to the abdomen courtesy of Skywarp. Inferno grunted and took a step backwards in pain. The seeker activated the thrusters on his feet and charged him. Both mechs crashed to the ground tearing through dirt like a plow as the seeker's thrusters flared. Inferno shook his head in an attempt to clear his processors when they finally stopped and attempted to sit up only to have a foot planted on his chest and push him back down.

"Now, who were you callin' a metal chicken?" Skywarp sneered raising an arm mounted rifle at the fire truck's spark. The ominous click of another gun being cocked answered his question.

"I highly recommend you desist" Red Alert growled from behind Skywarp and pushed the muzzle of his gun a little harder against a kneeling Thundercracker.

Skywarp blinked concerned optics at his captive wingmate. "You are still outmatched."

Red Alert tilted his head as if listening to something and his sensory horns sparked. "Not anymore." Skywarp frowned aware of the Autobot Security Director's advanced sensory net and lowered his rifle. Red Alert lowered his to match. Skywarp nodded to Thundercracker and the two took to the sky in rapid retreat.

"Thanks for the rescue" Inferno grumbled while standing up. "Where's the others?"

"Smokescreen and Cliffjumper are still four minutes out."

Inferno blinked and then grinned in realization. "Why you sneaky lil…you lied! Heh! Made yer horns light up an everythin'!"

Red Alert stepped closer to the fire truck and looked up at him. "I did what I had to." He suddenly reached up and pulled Inferno down capturing the surprised mech's lips in a gentle kiss. He pulled back and smiled happily at Inferno's stunned expression. "I am a Lamborghini" he stated proudly then pitched forward offline into Inferno's arms exposing his energon covered back.


	4. Chapter 4

Damn tired, not really sure what all I wrote, if ya don't like let me know an I will take it down an try again.

**Chapter 4 – Crazy Lamborghinis**

"Almost makes a Lamborghini kind of cute when they do that."

Inferno yanked his hand back from where he'd been caressing Red Alert's spoiler and blinked up at Ratchet. He smiled sheepishly as the sound of Red Alert's systems purring from his attention began to wind down. "Um… what about cute?"

Ratchet grinned as he ran a portable scanner over the offline Security Director's back. "I was referring to Red Alert's purring. As glitchy as he may be, he is still very much a Lamborghini."

Inferno frowned as the comment immediately brought back Red Alert's last words before falling into stasis lock back in the woods. _"I am a Lamborghini." _He looked down at the red and white mech laying peacefully on the repair berth before him. "What do ya mean very much a Lamborghini?"

"Those with frames compatible with the human Lamborghini design, AKA Lambos" Ratchet flicked Red Alert's spoiler for emphasis resulting in an involuntary twitch from the mech, "are very sensual creatures; proud too. Personally I think it's why every last one of them seems to be half a click shy of being… oh what's the right word? To borrow a few human sayings… an egg shy of an omelet, the elevator doesn't go to the top floor, the starting gate is open but he's still asking directions, and my personal favorite…the wheel is turning but the hamster is dead. You follow?"

Inferno blinked at the medic again unable to formulate a response. "Uh… so how's he doin'?"

Ratchet folded up the portable scanner and leaned against the repair berth. "Well, he's one lucky son of a glitch. If that shot had entered his back plates a mere two inches higher we'd need a new Security Director. Oh, don't give me that look, he'll be fine. The new coolant pump and energon conversion unit I've installed are doing their job. The other minor repairs are also holding up so long as he takes it easy. I'd love to kick him out of my med bay when he onlines but I don't think he's going to cooperate; fragger never does." Ratchet leaned down closer to Red Alert's audio and raised his voice. "Because some mechs seem to think there is no such thing as taking it easy or light duty or anything that does not involve working their aft into the ground."

Inferno narrowed his optics and frowned. "Give the poor mech a break. There's no need to…"

Ratchet straightened and fixed a glare at the fire truck. "If you want to remain in my med bay I highly recommend you not finish that sentence."

Inferno glared back for a moment then turned his optics away in defeat not wanting to leave Red Alert's side. He ignored Ratchet's smug look as the CMO turned to input the recent scan results onto a datapad. He was jolted upright when a loud bang echoed across the room as the med bay doors slammed open.

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Red Alert felt good. Correction, he felt fantastic. He was warm, comfortable, and something was causing the spoiler on his back to radiate these amazingly pleasant tingles throughout his entire frame. He was well aware of the fact that he was unnaturally offline, a fact that should have had him in a panic; but he couldn't bring himself to care as he continued to give in to the sensations his body had not felt in a long, long time. And then he felt a vibration through his frame as if something had crashed nearby.

"Hey Ratch! Sorry to intrude but Sunny an me got into this fight and now I can't move my left arm so I kinda need a…"

Good feelings gone. Red Alert mentally twitched at the shouting voice._ Fight? _Red Alert's glitch suddenly kicked into high gear completely drowning out everything else. _Intrude? Intruder?! Decepticons! They must have knocked me offline! I've been captured! They won't get anything out of me! I'm taking as many of them down with me as I can by Primus!_ In a feat most medical experts would have deemed impossible, Red Alert booted all of his systems up…at the same time. Quick as lightning, his optics unshuttered and he leaped forward with a terrified scream. "Noooo!! I'll tell you nothing you Decepticon filth!! You hear me?! I am no easy spar-ack!!!" His legs swung forward as he was halted in mid air by something grabbing his collar then slamming him down onto the floor. His back hit the ground with a loud crash sending all the air in his intakes rushing out and effectively stunning him.

Ratchet released his grip on Red Alert's collar moving his hand to rest on the Lamborghini's chest. "Great. Barrel of high grade says I'm going to have to re-fix something I just fraggin' repaired!" He slowly raised his head to glare up at Sideswipe who flinched and took a step backwards. "You just had to open your fragging mouth didn't you? Why are you even in here?! If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, when Red Alert is offline in the med bay you do what Sideswipe?!"

Sideswipe looked down at the floor and muttered something under his breath.

Ratchet narrowed his optics and hefted a wrench. "I can't hear you!"

"Keep quiet and maintain a minimum distance of one hundred meters."

"Very good, now were you quiet?"

"I guess not."

"Uh huh and how close were you?"

"Aw come on Ratch I was just…"

"I said how close was your sorry virus infested slag heap of a processor?!"

"Ummm, I dunno, twenty meters maybe? But Inferno was…"

"Inferno was helping to calm Red Alert! You couldn't keep Beachcomber calm with altered high grade energon goodies and a Grateful Dead concert!"

"What is Grateful…?"

"Inferno, move Red Alert to one of the private recovery rooms. This won't take me long." Ratchet began walking towards Sideswipe who began wisely inching back towards the med bay doors. "I hope you've made your peace with Primus because you have about thirty seconds left on this plane of existence."

Inferno, ignoring Sideswipe's sudden yelp, kneeled beside Red Alert on the floor. "Red? You ok?"

Red Alert cycled his optics and tried to focus in on the large red blur hovering over him. "I really hope you are Inferno because I don't have the strength to try resisting again."

Inferno smiled and gently slid an arm under Red Alert's legs and shoulders. He easily carried the smaller mech to one of the private recovery rooms and placed Red Alert front down on a repair berth. "How's yer back?"

"Mmph" Red Alert mumbled into the berth surface.

"That good huh?"

"I woke up thinking I was a Decepticon prisoner, got body slammed by a homicidal butcher of a medic, and now it feels like half my back is being dipped in a smelter. So far, I am going to have to say that I am not impressed with how my day is going."

Inferno chuckled while pulling a chair up to the repair berth. "Ok rough start, but now ya got lil ole me for company. Can't get much better than that."

"Little old you? Inferno you are many things but little is not one of them." Red Alert managed a smile when Inferno laughed again. He loved hearing the fire truck's laugh.

Inferno sat down with a sigh and ran worried optics over the prone form lying in front of him. On a whim he began running his fingers along Red Alert's spoiler again. He smiled when the red and white mech started purring and nearly melted into the repair berth surface. "Feel good?"

"You have no idea." Red Alert turned his head to the side and offered Inferno a blissful smile. "So what did I miss?"

Inferno bit his lip not really wanting to tell Red Alert how close he'd come to losing him. "Ya got shot in the back; probably when ya pushed me outta the way when that seeker dove down on us. I owe ya my life." He paused in his caresses and leaned closer to Red Alert with a frown. "Ya shoulda told me you were hurt Red. Ya scared me sparkless!"

Red Alert raised his head off the berth and stared at Inferno for a long moment. "I don't think it would have made a difference. Besides, what I did with the time instead was well worth it." He grinned at Inferno's expression and placed his head back down on the berth.

Inferno stared dumbly at the Lamborghini with his jaw hanging open. "Worth it? Red! You were shot! How is that worth a kiss?!"

"I said well worth it; and I stand by my statement. I will be expecting more in the future by the way."

Inferno gave his head a shake in an attempt to get his processor to catch up. Exactly how the tables got turned on him was throwing his logic circuits for a loop. "Now wait just a second! Since when did you become the aggressive one? I was the one who planned and…"

"Are you complaining?"

Inferno spluttered like a fish out of water before answering with a strangled "no!"

"Then shut up and kiss me already." Inferno leaped up and had Red Alert engaged in a passionate kiss before the chair hit the floor.


End file.
